My boss put me in charge of getting the thermostat problem solved.
I didn’t know anything about HVAC systems or thermostats.
- I didn’t own a home, and the HVAC system in my apartment was integrated.
I didn’t even have a thermostat in my apartment. The landlord set a single thermostat and he set the temperature we all ‘enjoyed’. When there was a problem with the thermostat in our work area, my boss told me to get it fixed. People were fighting over the thermostat and where the temperature should be set. What was I supposed to do? Did he expect me to hold a meeting and take a poll on where the thermostat should be set and average it out? I didn’t think so. I called the HVAC company and they suggested zone control. We had one large room, and zone controls was not going to work. This would just give everyone one or two more thermostats to fight over. If they boss thought he had a problem now, this would make it worse. I once again called the HVAC company and asked what they would suggest. I think the HVAC technician said it in jest, but I thought it sounded like a wonderful idea. I bought a lockbox and put it over the thermostat. Only the person holding the key could change the temperature, and that was our boss. When I told him I found a solution to the fighting over the thermostat. When he found out I put a lockbox over the thermostat, he began to laugh. It was the same solution he had come up with, and he was glad to see that we were in agreement.